Leif's Painting Focus

For the last week my sister and her family have been visiting. Leif seems to be really into painting lately! Clearly this makes me super excited. We have mostly been using watercolors. I showed him the magic of using a sponge to paint and it seemed to be a big hit. Also, if you have a youngster, the best thing as far as paper to use is butcher paper. You can probably pick it up at any butcher shop or deli. Super cheap for the amount of paper kids go through when they are young and creative.

Framed Children's Paintings

After doing 20+ children's paintings for The Imag(in)e Project, it is such a delight to see some examples that are being framed and proudly displayed!

Messy Painter

My nephew, Toben, paints like me! He ends up covered in paint and is proud of it!

Recycled Can Craft

Here is a simple craft to do on a rainy afternoon. After eating some spaghetti o's for lunch, we washed out the cans and broke out the construction paper and this is what the kids came up with.

Flower Craft

Here's a really cute craft you can do for a keep sake to remember how small your baby once was. It's simple and works well when framed. I used construction paper but you can always trace out on heavier paper that doesn't fade as easily. If you do use construction paper I recommend getting high end glass for framing that protects against sunlight damage.

Box Craft

Today's craft we used jumbo craft sticks, also known as popsicle sticks. This craft was good to work on patience for a 4 year old to wait for glue to dry. She also had to focus on lining this up so she would not have a lopsided box. Each layer of sticks are alternating which you can see in the photos. Otherwise you end up with wide spaces in the sides for things to fall out of your box. It's also pattern practice for the child making it!

Flower Hair piece Crafts

Here is an image of one of our flower experiments. I think it's cute but I think it may be something I can easily do with the kids I babysit. Not sure if it is my style but it was certainly fun to make!